Identity and Moving House
Backstory
Yes, I know, today’s blog topic is an unusual one. What do these two things have to do with each other, ‘identity’ and ‘moving house’? Well, here goes…
I recently had the pleasure of moving from the apartment I’ve lived in for the past four years, to a new place. That apartment had become home to me, I knew every nook and cranny (as they say) and could navigate the space with my eyes closed. As you can imagine, the decision to move from this place I had “settled into” was a tough one, but it was also a necessary one.
Packing my stuff
It goes without saying that moving involved me packing all my things in preparation for the team of movers to transfer them to my new place. Packing was exhausting! to say the least, but eye-opening. Over the course of the several days it took me to pack, I was reminded of this life lesson which I’m sharing with you, today.
Firstly, it is amazing how much stuff can accumulate over time. I noted that some things I had bought for myself, but a considerable amount of what I had to pack had been given to me as gifts. Whatever the means through which they had been acquired, they were now a part of my package. Suffice to say, that in the process of packing there was also a process of sorting, which allowed me to identify and do away with excess and to discard things which were not useful to me.
But…can I move to a new mental space?
In the same way, we accumulate mental and emotional ‘stuff’ over time. Much like our homes, our minds, hearts, and spirits are at risk of being filled with ‘stuff’ we’ve acquired as a result of our own efforts, or that we’ve accepted from others. Either way, left unchecked, this stuff becomes overwhelming to handle. Over time, impacting our mental and emotional space and eventually shaping how we view ourself and situations …ie our identity.
Whilst we may not be able to literally transfer from one mental space to another, we can take inventory of our thoughts. In fact, it is critical for us to, ever so often, stop and examine what thoughts and impressions we have been packing away and how they are helping, hurting or hindering us. Most especially, how are those thoughts and impressions impacting how we see ourself…our identity?
Agape,
Kareem
